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Season management is the foundation of C3 Esports operations. Staff create and configure each season before it begins, set the registration dates, define divisions, schedule match weeks, and advance the season through its phases as it progresses.

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Season lifecycle overview

A season moves through these phases in order: 
UPCOMING → REGISTRATION → ACTIVE → PLAYOFFS → COMPLETED
See Season Lifecycle for a full description of each phase. The transition between phases can happen automatically (when date conditions are met) or manually (staff trigger).

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Creating a new season

1

Go to Season Management

Navigate to c3esports.com/admin/seasons and click Create Season.Season management page showing existing seasons and a Create Season button
2

Set the season name and description

Choose a name like “Spring 2026” or “Season 4”. Add a short description if needed.
3

Set key dates

Date fieldDescription
Registration opensWhen teams can start registering
Registration closesDeadline for team registrations
Season startWhen the first match week begins
Season endExpected end of regular season
Playoffs startWhen playoffs begin (can be set later)
Set dates carefully — changing them after registration opens can confuse teams and managers who planned around the original schedule. Announce any date changes in Discord immediately.
4

Create divisions

After creating the season, add divisions. Click Add Division and create:
  • Premier — top tier
  • Challengers — mid tier
  • Contenders — entry-level
Each division can have its own match format configuration (e.g., BO3 regular season, BO5 playoffs).
5

Save and publish

Click Save Season. The season starts in UPCOMING status and is visible to users on the Seasons page as a coming-soon entry.

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Opening and closing registration

Registration can be opened and closed manually in addition to the automatic date-based transition. To open registration early or manually:
  1. Go to the season detail page in the admin panel.
  2. Click Open Registration.
  3. The season phase changes to REGISTRATION immediately.
To close registration early:
  1. Click Close Registration on the season detail page.
  2. Confirm. No new registrations are accepted after this point.
  3. The season transitions to ACTIVE (or stays pending until the configured start date, depending on your setup).
Close registration a few hours before you begin batch-approving teams. This prevents last-minute registrations from being missed.

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Scheduling match weeks

After registration closes and teams are approved, create the match schedule:
1

Go to Match Weeks

On the season detail page, open the Match Weeks tab and click Create Week.
2

Set week number and date range

Assign a week number (Week 1, Week 2, etc.) and the date window (e.g., Monday–Sunday of that week).
3

Generate matches

Click Generate Matches for the week. The system pairs teams in round-robin order within each division and creates match records with default time slots.
Generated matches use placeholder times. You must set actual match times for each match before the week begins. Teams and managers are notified when match times are finalized.
4

Set match times

For each generated match, set the scheduled start time in Eastern Time. Standard match times are 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, or 10:00 PM ET — but any time can be scheduled.
5

Publish the week

When all match times are set, click Publish Week. Teams receive notifications and the matches appear on the Matches page.

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Advancing to playoffs

When the regular season ends:
  1. Verify all regular season matches are COMPLETED or FORFEITED. No pending results should remain.
  2. Trigger the standings recalculator (or wait for the next automatic run) to confirm final standings.
  3. Click Advance to Playoffs on the season detail page.
  4. The season phase changes to PLAYOFFS.
  5. Create playoff match records manually (or wait for the bracket management feature when available).

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Completing a season

After all playoff matches are resolved:
  1. Confirm all playoff results are finalized.
  2. Click Complete Season on the season detail page.
  3. The season phase changes to COMPLETED.
  4. Final standings are frozen and the season record is archived.
  5. Announce results in Discord and on the platform via an Announcement.